Circuit modules or cards are increasing in use to provide storage and other electronic functions for devices such as digital cameras, personal computing devices and personal digital assistants (PDAs). New uses for circuit modules include multimedia cards and secure digital cards.
Typically, circuit modules contain multiple integrated circuit devices or “dies”. The dies are interconnected using a circuit board substrate, which adds to the weight, thickness and complexity of the module. Circuit modules also have electrical contacts for providing an external interface to the insertion point or socket. Some circuit module standards use contact pads on the bottom side of the substrate, and the above-incorporated patent application teaches a method and assembly wherein a substrate is not required and the contact pads are replaced with lead-frame contacts. As described in the above-incorporated patent, it is desirable for a number of reasons to produce a circuit module without a substrate, and the lead-frame embodiments taught therein provide a circuit module without a substrate and having a contact pad interface formed within the lead-frame carrier.
However, some circuit module standards such as Compact Flash (CF) require a pin connector located on a side of the circuit module, and in some cases the pin connector has multiple rows. (CF cards require a dual-row female 50-pin connector.) A typical CF circuit module (and other pin connector modules) includes a pin connector mounted on a substrate used to provide an electrical interface to external devices. The substrate is required to mount and electrically connect the pin connector to one or more semiconductor dies incorporated within the circuit module. Further, pin connectors are typically expensive items that form a significant portion of the manufacturing cost of a circuit module.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and assembly for including a pin connector within circuit modules without requiring a substrate. It would further be desirable to provide a multi-row pin connector within a lead-frame assembly. It would also be desirable to provide a pin connector within a circuit module assembly without requiring a discrete connector component.